Administration

An updated version of this article is available here.

Purpose

The MetaField Administration system enables you to tailor MetaField to your business situation.  In the various tabs available, administrators define standard data and settings that control how the application operates and makes entering tests, activities and samples quicker and easier for users.  

Types of Administrators

There are two types of MetaField Administrators:

RoleDescription
Administrator
  • Access to all administrative (and MetaField) functions
Business Administrator
  • Access to all administrative functions, with the exception of assigning users to Roles and viewing the Subscriptions tab

Administration Home Screen 

From the Administration Home screen you will see several icons for each of the major areas. Under each icon is a list of subsections.
Selecting a subsection will bring you to that area of Administration.
If an area has more than three subsections, you will see an option to expose more subsections.

Administration Side Menu

A side menu will allow you to navigate throughout Administration without returning to the home screen. 

To expose this menu, choose the icon in the upper left. To hide the menu, select the icon again.


Exposing Subsections

To view the subsections in the side menu, click the down arrow icon.


Using Data Grids

MetaField contains many fields which are populated by selecting a value from a drop-down list.  In almost every case, the values in the lists are defined in Administration.  Areas dedicated to defining the values of drop-down lists are presented in a data grid view.  The function of these views is generally the same, regardless of the value being defined.  Basic list properties are defined below.

List PropertiesHow to Use
Adding Values
  1. Select the Add button in the top right corner.
  2. In the popup that appears, fill in all required information.
  3. Select Save.

Sorting Lists


  • By default, lists in MetaField are sorted alphanumerically by the column values farthest to the left.  
  • The lists can also be manually sorted by values in another column by clicking on the corresponding column’s heading.  
Editing & Deleting Controls

Various icons are presented with allow you to perform different functions in your list:

IconControlDescription
Edit
  • Opens the record to make changes.
Activate
  • Used to change Inactive or Deleted records to Active.  
  • The Activated value will then appear on its corresponding list.
Deactivate
  • The value will no longer be shown on its corresponding list in MetaField.
  • To see Inactive values in Administration change the filter option.
Delete
  • The value will no longer be shown on its corresponding list in MetaField.
  • These values are not permanently deleted. You can reactive a deleted value by selecting the Activate control.
  • To see Inactive values in Administration change the filter option.
History
  • Displays Creation and Last Modified Date and Time.

Deactivate vs. Delete

Suggested use for deactivating values are items that were previously used by the system, but are no longer in use by your business.

Suggested use for deleting values, items that were never intended for use by the system.

Searching & Filtering

Almost every list within MetaField Administration contains a Search/Filter feature.  This function is most useful when lists contain many pages of values. 

To search for a value:

  1. Type in all or part of the value you are searching for. Spelling must be accurate, but it is not case sensitive.
  2. Select the appropriate Status from the drop-down list provided.
  3. Select Search.